CALGARY — Layoffs and business shutdowns during the pandemic have left thousands of Albertans without work and while many can access government funding, a Calgary staffing agency is urging job seekers not to pass up opportunities right now.
Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), for people who lost income due to COVID-19, provides $2,000 a month for up to four months, but About Staffing CEO Sharlene Massie says it will likely create a bottleneck of people searching for work when the program is set to end in October.
“I think there will be some hard lessons to learn come this fall,” she said.
Job applicants will be flooding the market once the warm weather wanes and students return to school.
“The competition will be fierce,” said Massie.
In April, Premier Jason Kenney predicted unemployment in Alberta might hit 25 per cent.
Massie said workers are still allowed to make up to $1,000 a month and still keep CERB funding, adding the foot in the door at a job now could make a difference for employment in the months ahead.
As of May 5, there were more than 7.5 million unique applicants for CERB. The federal government has neither committed to extending the program nor ruled out the possibility.
